


Daehwi's (Blind) Dates

by jellyturtle



Series: Past, Present, & Future [5]
Category: AB6IX (Band), ITZY (Band), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 00-Linerz, Addtags, Am I supposed to tag all of the blind dates? lol, Blind Date(s), F/M, Fluff and Humor, Lee Daehwi-centric, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), idolverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28588512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellyturtle/pseuds/jellyturtle
Summary: Somi thought being a best friend to Daehwi meant setting him up on a blind date so he could find the love of his life in 2021. While not feeling completely up to it, he grudgingly agreed. After all, it was just a date. One date. He could do one date.Oh, was he in for a surprise.Let’s just say had Daehwi known it would have come to this, he would have never agreed in the first place. Who knew one date could lead to the greatest stress he’s ever experienced in his life?*Spoiler: It's not just one date and it's not only Somi who gets involved.Or where Daehwi's friends are trying to be helpful with his love life but end up bringing him the most stress he's ever experienced in his life ^^'
Relationships: Ennik Somi Douma | Jeon Somi & Lee Daehwi, Hwang Hyunjin/Hwang Yeji, Lee Daehwi/??
Series: Past, Present, & Future [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727596
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	1. Premise

Daehwi let out a laugh of disbelief, still uncertain whether he was trapped in a nightmare or if he was pathetic enough that this was actually reality.

“I’m sorry, what?” His grip on his phone tightened, unable to compute the words said to him over the line.

The words were repeated to him a second time and he felt his heart drop to his gut, dread encompassing him like a dark cloud as his brain registered the current situation. At the slow realization of what was happening, he was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack.

“YOU WHAT?!” He shrieked in horror as he jumped from his seat.

“I GOT YOU A DATE!” Somi shrieked with joy.

It was hilarious how two shrieks that sounded so similar could have completely different connotations. From an outsider’s perspective, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It probably appeared to be a typical conversation between Daehwi and his best friend, both loud and high-pitched as they chatted about everything and nothing at the same time. However, at this current moment in time, there was nothing Daehwi wanted to do more than to slam his phone down, hang up, and pretend this conversation never happened. In fact, the only thing stopping him from doing so was because this was Somi. Aside the facts that she was his best friend and that he considered himself a gentleman (HE IS, ok?! :P), Somi was complicated.

_Nope, never mind. That was Hyunjin._

Somi was… **Crazy** , to say the least.

Not out-of-control, annoying-as-blank, all-screws-loose crazy (although sometimes, they could get like that together when they were too excited or had a little too much to drink). No. Somi was crazy as in two-steps-ahead-of-you-crazy, as in always-got-a-plan-b-crazy, as in _I-have-too-much-time-on-my-hands-so-let’s-bug-Daehwi_ -crazy! She was energetic, bright, and hyper, and used those traits to come up with the craziest ideas or plans Daehwi had ever heard of. It was something he both loved and loathed her for at the same time. He didn’t even know that he could feel those two emotions at the same time, but that was Somi for you – always bringing out new things. And this new thing was about to be the death of Daehwi.

“Explain.” It took him five deep breaths and a shot of espresso to force his voice to calm. And after that, his entire brainpower to force every bone in his body to still so he could keep himself seated.

“My New Years’ Resolution to be more proactive with my friends this year! I decided to start with you! My BESTEST friend! My precious and awesome brother, Daehwi!” Somi was as excited as could be, her voice as jolly as if she were talking about the newest Nintendo game.

“I don’t understand.” His voice was deliberately flat.

“You said you wanted to marry early, which means you need to date early.” She ignored his sour attitude, her voice ridiculously cheerful. “And what better time to date than now?”

“With the coronavirus?” He deadpanned.

“Exactly! Thanks to the coronavirus, we have less schedules due to restrictions and all; which means we have more time; which means your availability has gone up!” She sang-song.

“So rather than hanging out with me yourself, you’re looking for **_other people_** to spend time with me?!” He didn’t even try to hide the saltiness in his voice.

To be honest, he was slightly bitter over how the past few months she hadn’t been available to hang out with him at all. Despite her grand speech about how COVID-19 had lessened their schedules, they both knew management was tighter on them now more than ever due to fear of contracting the disease.

“Daehwi,” Her merry voice suddenly dropped to a groan. “You know I would if I **could**! Management is on my butt right now, and so are my parents! Everyone’s telling me _constantly_ , ‘Somi, you can’t go out!’ ‘Somi, you better stay home!’ ‘Somi, wear your mask!’ No one trusts me! Everyone keeps treating me like I’m a kid!” She huffed, letting out a helpless whine at her woes.

“That’s because you have a hecka lot of friends.” His lips pressed tightly together in a dry smile.

“Says you! I don’t want to hear that from the biggest social butterfly I know!”

“Debatable.” He let out a careless yawn.

Comeback was around the corner and he was exhausted from preparations, but finding time to talk to Somi was rare so he’d take whatever he got.

“Who comes close to you?”

He could hear her rolling her eyes.

“Eric.” Another yawn escaped him.

“Nam? Ok, but c’mon. He’s the exception! He knows everybody!”

“I meant the Boyz’ Eric.” Daehwi snorted. “You know… Youngjae?”

“Who?”

“What?”

“Youngjae? GOT7?”

“I just said, the Boyz.”

“The Boyz-“

“Never mind.” He quickly interrupted.

They almost went off-tangent (again). And while Daehwi normally didn’t mind, considering how the subject matter was **_him_** , he felt the need to focus.

“So back to the topic…” He cleared his throat.

“Oh. Right… Anyways. It’s happening this Thursday and it’s a breakfast date so sleep early-“

“I’m not doing it.” His voice cut through her explanation like a knife as he stood up to reach for another energy drink from his shelf. “Cancel it.”

“Daehwi-“

“I’m not going.”

“Come on! What happened to ‘I gotta marry early and have kids for my mom’?”

She had the nerve to sound offended. He twitched.

“Those are two EXTREMELY different things and you know it!” He sputtered with incredulity.

“Different?! I’m helping you get closer to those goals!” She argued when Lee Daehwi was in absolutely no mood for any disagreement.

“Somi, I’m only twenty. I was planning on thinking about that when I’m like… twenty-five.” He rubbed his temple harshly in annoyance. “And I’m very, extremely, stupidly **_busy_**! I don’t have time to go on dates!”

“Just try it!” She begged over the phone. “I promised she’s really nice! You trust me, right?”

It took all of Daehwi’s self-control to swallow back the resounding ‘No’ that threatened to spill over.

No! He did not trust the nosiest girl he’s ever met when it came to his love life! Never mind that she was his best friend. Somi wasn’t even dating anyone! What would she know about relationships?!

“Come on, Daehwi!” She whined. “For me?! For your mom?”

This was absolutely ridiculous. Daehwi was only twenty years old and Somi’s idea of helping him out was to set him up on a blind date so he could find his future wife that he would marry in 10+ years along the line. It was the silliest (almost stupidest) plan he had ever heard her come up with. Like he knew Somi was crazy, but she flat out sounded **_insane_** right now.

He sucked in a deep breath before letting it out in a heavy exhale as he contemplated his options.

**Option 1: No.**

Just flat out, no. Turn her down and don’t go. It was the option he was leaning most towards. This was ridiculous and ridiculous plans didn’t deserve a second thought. Never mind that Somi was the first friend to give him a call for the New Year. Just ignore the fact that she had good intentions and was genuinely thinking about his future and his mom. Also let’s ignore that she already set it up, which means that there was another party involved, who may be looking forward to the date _– **OK!**_

He let out a sigh as he thought about his second option.

**Option 2: Do it.**

Just meet the girl and see where it goes from there. It’s one date, not a marriage proposal. What’s there to fear? It’s not like his company was against him dating. He didn’t have a dating ban or anything. He just couldn’t get caught. What was the harm in meeting someone? What if he met someone he liked? Well, knowing Somi, she probably didn’t pick someone he liked. But what if she did? What if he actually met… **_the One_**? **_The love of his li-_**

“Daehwi?” Somi’s voice brought him back to reality and he rapidly blinked, blood rushing to his face thanks to his spectacular imagination.

“Uh… yeah… Well. Um. I don’t know…” He dragged out, trying to fan the blush off his cheeks even though he knew she couldn’t see it.

“Just one date!” She wheedled. “Please Daehwi! I already told her and she’s excited. You have to go! If it doesn’t work out, I’ll take full responsibility! Please!”

**‘She’s excited.’**

Someone was excited to meet Daehwi. And as silly as it was, that was all the push he needed.

“… Alright.”

“YEAHH!!!” She screamed so loud, he almost went deaf in one ear.

He winced and tossed the phone on the table.

“You tryna send me to the hospital?” He barked, tossing the phone on the table as he turned on speaker.

“Sorry! Sorry! I’m just too excited right now!” She laughed with glee. “Ok! I’ll text you the details tonight! Aww Daehwi! I’m so happy!”

“You are?” He sighed, rubbing his temple tiredly.

“Yes! Very much so! Trust me! You’re gonna thank me some day! You’re gonna love me when I find you the love of your life. I’ll text you! Bye! Yay! I’m so excited! Bye!” And with that, she hung up before he could say anything else.

Daehwi collapsed onto the table with a groan, wondering what in the world he had just gotten himself into. As he turned his face so that his cheek was pressed upon the cool wood, one thought keep ringing in his head over and over again.

**_‘She’s excited.’_ **

He bit his lip, his heartbeat starting to race a little faster at the resounding thought. And somehow, this thought linked to a memory of something he said a long time ago.

**_“My ideal type is… Any girl who genuinely likes me. Age doesn’t matter.”_ **

A wry smile formed on his lips as he forced himself off the table to sit up properly.

Let’s not think too much. It was just a date. One date. He could do one date. His friendship with Somi was worth one date of whatever she had to offer him.

**Oh, was he in for a surprise.**

Let’s just say had Daehwi known it would have come to **_this_** , he would have never agreed in the first place. Who knew one date could lead to the greatest stress he’s ever experienced in his life?


	2. Ridiculous

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Yeji’s voice was so sweet that Daehwi could hear and FEEL the saccharine oozing out of the phone.

“I think you’ve dialed the wrong number.” His jaw tightened into a wry smile. “I’m not Hwang Hyunjin.”

“I’m waiting for him to finish practice so I have some time to kill.” She chuckled. “I thought I’d call my dear friend Daehwi to wish him a “Happy Valentines.”

“Last year I got chocolate from both of you and this year I only get wishes?” He turned up his nose haughtily, pretending to sniffle. “I see how it is, you selfish couple!”

“Daehwi, I sent you chocolate.” She let out a sigh.

“The kit-kats you mailed hardly count as anything!”

“Better than the Choco Boys Hyunjin gave you last year!” Yeji laughed and Daehwi joined her.

“True, true!” He grudgingly agreed, his sour attitude morphing into a brighter one. “I’d take your kit-kats over Choco Boys any day.”

“Don’t say that out loud in front of him.” She teased.

“He’s a Choco Boys maniac.” He scoffed. “He eats Choco Boys more than he eats rice! How do you not get sick of it?”

“It’s not too bad.” She hummed. “They’re pretty good.”

“You’ve changed, Yeji!” He mock-gasped. “You used to be impartial! Now, you’re completely biased!”

“Daehwi!” She laughed again. “Come on! You’re not going to get all over me due to CHOCO BOYS, are you?”

“Hey, I’m just looking out for you! Don’t come storming off to me if that’s the only thing he gives you today.” Daehwi let out a snort. “I can already imagine… Forget roses or fancy chocolates. He’d come out with a Choco Boys fiesta!”

“He’d better not…” She was laughing so hard, she began coughing. “I’d kill him.”

“I’d help you.” He readily offered, startling her into another fit of giggles.

“So…” She wheezed, trying to catch her breath as she calmed herself down. “… Any special plans for today?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.” He leaned back against his chair.

“Where are you right now?”

“Where I always am. In the studio.” He snorted. “Gonna work on some stuff and then have dinner with Chaeyeon Nuna and Chaeryeong… As I do every year… As WE’RE supposed to do every year.” He smirked at the soft huff she let out.

“… I’ll try to join-“ She started saying reluctantly, causing Daehwi to let out a guffaw of laughter.

“I’m completely joking! Please don’t show up! The last thing I need is for your sulky face to ruin the mood because you couldn’t spend the Day of Love with Hyun-liet.”

“My what?! Lee Daehwi, you take that back! I do NOT have a sulky face?! Why would I?! And Hyun-liet?”

“Oh, was he supposed to be Hyun-meo? I always figured you were the more manly and responsible one. But he can be Hyun-meo if you want.”

“Juliet IS the more responsible one in the story.” She said dryly.

“I beg to differ. She was- Actually, hmm… You’re right. Romeo is pretty reckless and impulsive. That’s Hyunjin from A to Z. Ok! You can be Yej-iet! He can be Hyun-meo!”

“What the heck?!”

And they were laughing again. It took a few more moments of unrestrained laughter for the air to finally quiet between them. Daehwi leaned back against his chair with a grin, holding the phone to his ear as he heard Yeji wheezing. It had been a while since he had talked to Yeji, had talked to any of his friends really. He missed this. This was nice. It was nice to just kid around, to joke and laugh with friends, and not have to worry about-

“What about your blind date?”

**_Darn it! He couldn’t forget about it for a second!_ **

“What?” He feigned ignorance, doing his best to keep his voice neutral while miserably failing at it.

“I would have thought Somi would set you up for another one today.” Yeji’s voice was laced with amusement.

“Why would you think that?” He asked brazenly.

“Well, she’s reached out to us about other potential candidates…”

“She what?!” Daehwi had officially lost his cool and was on the verge of screaming.

“Tell me you’re joking.” He moaned, his head coming down on his desk with a thud.

“I’m sorry.” Yeji sounded like she was stifling back giggles.

“You said, ‘us’. How many other people know?” He groaned, wringing a hand through his hair in frustration.

**_Darn Jeon Somi and her loose tongue!_ **

“Just me.” Yeji promised, purposefully dropping her voice to a soothing tone. “… And Chaeryeong… And Chaeyeon Unni… And Hyunjin.”

“So everyone!” He wailed in horror, head flying off the desk and almost off his shoulders.

“No, not everyone.” She tried to protest, laughter spilling over. “Soobinie doesn’t know.”

“Binie doesn’t make a difference!” Daehwi barked. “He can keep a secret and keeps his two cents to himself! You know what?! I’m replacing all of you! He’s my new number one best friend!”

“Y-you have competition then.” Giggles continually trailed from her lips. “Hyunjin and I are currently locked in battle over him.”

“What is with you guys?” Daehwi scoffed, shaking his head.

Don’t get him wrong. He absolutely adored their bunny-like friend as well. Who could resist Choi Soobin’s charms? But he couldn’t understand the crazy couple who had been painfully pinning for each other since forever, taking another eternity to get together, only for them to be smitten with the same boy. He just didn’t understand it. It was even more unorthodox because Soobin seemed to have an inkling that he was a source of competition between the pair, but didn’t do anything to stop it. Or more like he couldn’t. The moment Soobin paid a little more attention to one of them, the other would do everything in his/her power to make the boy look at him/her.

If Yeji sent a text to Soobin, Hyunjin made sure he sent two. If Hyunjin asked Soobin to grab dinner, Yeji booked Soobin for ice cream after. If Yeji linked arms with Soobin, Hyunjin went on the other side to hold Soobin’s hand with interlocked fingers. If Yeji complimented Soobin on his voice, Hyunjin made sure to emphasize how handsome and talented Soobin was until the boy melted into a blushing mess. In fact, one of the Hwang Couple’s favorite games was to see who could cause Soobin to blush first. It was like two parents fighting over their child. Cute, but ridiculously _childish_ and _dumb_. And this was coming from Daehwi, who was **_always_** ridiculously childish and dumb.

“We’re currently locked in a stalemate… But Soobin did send me a Happy Valentines’ Day text before Hyunjin so I think I’m winning.” Yeji said, her voice swelling with pride.

“Congratulations.” He deadpanned.

“Thank you!” She beamed and Daehwi snorted, shaking his head.

“This is ridiculous…” He muttered.

“What? Us and Soobinie? Or you and blind dates? Or Somi?” Yeji’s voice was the cheeriest Daehwi had ever heard it.

“All three! Everything! Everything is ridiculous! In fact, I don’t like my life has ever been as ridiculous as it is now!” He huffed with a loud exhale. “Life is… ridiculous.”

“What happened?” And just like that, Yeji’s voice dropped from teasing to tender, soft with gentleness.

“Jeon Somi happened.” Daehwi twitched, his hand balling into a fist. “And she’s come with cupid’s agenda, God _save_ me!”

“That bad? What happened… How was your date?” Yeji sounded genuinely curious, no signs of mirth or jest in her voice.

Daehwi sucked in a deep breath, trying to breath some inner peace into himself before answering.

“…Which one?” His voice was dry.

“You’ve been on… two dates?”

“Five. All different people.”

“That many?” She gasped. “It’s barely the middle of February. And we’re in a pandemic!”

“I know.”

“Weren’t you busy with comeback? And aren’t you busy now?”

“I was and I AM.” Daehwi let out a loud moan. “I barely have time to sleep as it is and thanks to this, I’m losing even more sleep!”

“Well… You don’t sleep much anyways-“

“That’s the same thing Somi said!” He bellowed, slamming a fist on the table. “And you know what?! Thanks to this experience, my perspective on sleep has changed. It is a necessity that I’ve neglected and my appreciation for it has gone through the roof!”

“Ouch… That bad?” Once again, her voice became soft with sympathy and it instantly calmed Daehwi down.

Yeji always had that calming effect on her. Maybe it was her reserved demeanor, but Daehwi always felt a little more relaxed with her than with his other friends (save for the times she was engaged in shouting matches with Hyunjin, but that was a story for another time).

“What happened?” She asked kindly.

“Where do I even begin?” He groaned.

“From the beginning.” Her coaxing voice was warming. “Somi told me briefly over text what happened, but I never heard the full story. Tell me, please?”

Had it been any other person, Daehwi would have flat-out rejected the request. But it was Yeji who was asking; Yeji, who was a great listener; Yeji, who was one of his closest friends; Yeji, whom Daehwi knew would listen from beginning to the end without interruptions, propositions, and advice. And at the moment, that was what Daehwi needed the most.

“Fine…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Lunar New Years and Valentines Day!   
> We're finally getting the story rolling! ^^  
> Let's embark on another journey together~


	3. Date#1 Kwon Eunbin

Daehwi was NOT a morning person. Late night projects in the studio conditioned him to become a creature of the night. He hardly ate breakfast and when he did, it was considered lunch by the time he considered eating. With that being said, a part of him wondered why his dear best friend Somi, his number-one supporter who should have known him inside and out, didn’t think twice about booking him a _breakfast_ date. Not lunch or dinner, but friggen _breakfast_ – the one meal of the day he could live without. He couldn’t even ask to reschedule, having only been given a three-days notice prior to when the date was happening.

He had to practically throw himself out of bed this morning, grinding his teeth as he dragged himself to the bathroom to get ready for his 8 am breakfast date. Who was even functioning enough to eat breakfast that early? Maybe it was due to the lack of sleep, but Daehwi found his mind crowded with too many thoughts as he washed and dressed. However, he quickly shoved all of his doubts and complaints to the back of his mind. Once his negativity got going, he was not a pleasant person to be around so sucking in a deep breath, he pushed all of his complaints to the back of his head.

“… You’re up?” Donghyun Hyung blinked in surprise, staring at him wide-eyed from the dining table as Daehwi trudged past him to the kitchen.

“I’m not…” Daehwi grumbled. “Is there any more coffee?”

“I’ll make you some right now.” The older boy started to stand when Daehwi waved away his thoughtfulness.

“No worries. I’ll just order it there.”

“You look nice.” Donghyun smiled gently, sitting back down on his chair. “Going somewhere?”

“Meeting up with someone.”

“Hmm…” Donghyun hummed and didn’t press any further, taking another sip of his coffee as the younger shot him a grateful smile.

Daehwi thanked his lucky stars that he had one member who wasn’t set on driving him off the deep end, especially early in the morning. Had it been Woojin or Woong that was awake, he knew he wouldn’t have been able to make it out of the house unscathed from the bombarding questions of, ‘Where are you going?’ ‘With who?’ ‘Is it a girl?’ ‘It’s DEFINITELY a girl.’ ‘Daehwi’s going on a date!’ ‘Oohh Lover Boy!’ ‘Can we tag along?’ ‘We’re DEFINITELY tagging along.’ ‘Gotta make sure our boy doesn’t screw up his first date!’

Donghyun Hyung teased him, but also knew his boundaries. He was also respectful and mindful of Daehwi’s space, as well as pampered him with attention when he needed it. The perfect ‘Mom’ so to say, the nickname Woojin came up for him while they were still trainees. Daehwi quickly brushed off the fleeting thought of ‘Dad’, although he couldn’t ignore the slight pang in his heart as he did so. This was his reality now. He had to be strong. Any lingering regrets or sadness would just get in the way. It was the four of them for AB6ix now, ride-or-die.

“Have fun.” Donghyun called out, the usual gentle smile on his face. “And be careful. Wear your mask.”

“I will… Mom!” Daehwi sang-song, causing Donghyun to scoff and shake his head as Daehwi ran out of the house with a gleeful cackle.

Yes, it was the four of them. **But that didn’t mean Daehwi had to completely give up nicknames and jokes he had been cracking with them since he was a kid.** After all, their name –AB6ix– still had _‘6’_ in it.

Even though it sucked going into the new year with the coronavirus, one good thing about the situation was anonymity. Thanks to the national mask-mandate, Daehwi’s chances of getting caught outside drastically decreased, allowing him to come and go as he pleased. Not that he did so often, as his over-thinking self didn’t allow him to do so. However, still, it was nice to have a little more freedom than the norm. On his way to the café, he took in the quiet streets of Seoul, admiring the white puffs of snow that decorated the rooftops. Outside his studio, life seemed a lot slower than usual, which was a breath of fresh air to his oxygen-deprived self.

For the first time since graduating high school, he arrived to the designated location 15 minutes _earlier_ rather than later. While lack of traffic helped, what really drove him early was Somi’s veiled threat that came with her text.

** bestie~ **

thursday

8 am breakfast

hommie café

*location map

go up the stairs and sit in the table by the corner

(not the 1 next 2 the window but the 1 right under the sky window)

again, ur meeting her on the 2nd story

got it?

** mybff **

*thumbs-up

** bestie~ **

& 1 more thing

…

lee daehwi

if ur late

istGOD ur gonna meet Him rite away

*knife_emoji *angel_emoji

** mybff **

…

** bestie~ **

i mean it

dun be late!!!!! >:(

And so he arrived to breakfast 15 minutes early to preserve his life, on the dot at 7:45 am. He had to hand it to Somi. Despite all of his complaints about the scheduled date time, the place she picked was nice. Just like it’s name, it WAS a homey café with urban décor and warm vibes. He noticed people taking orders to-go (as the place opened at 6:30 am in the morning), which indicated that their food must have been good.

As per her instructions, he quietly scaled up the second-floor to the bungalow (but not before ordering a large Americano with lots of milk and doused with sugar to keep him awake). It was completely empty, thank God. He didn’t need any nosy paparazzi or crazy fans blowing up social media on his first blind date. However, that didn’t stop his precautious measures of keeping his mask on, taking sips of his coffee in-between sliding the cloth up and down his face. The table that she instructed him to sit on was undeniably the best spot, sunlight shining through the window above to provide gentle warmth from the cold. He glanced down at his phone.

**7:58.**

His date would arrive at any minute and suddenly Daehwi was hit with a bout of nervousness.

**_Oh my gosh. Did he look ok? Donghyun Hyung said he looked nice with his wool knit turtleneck, but Hyung always said he looked nice. His opinion was unreliable since he was completely biased! (As he should have been, because Daehwi was THE maknae-on-top :P). And shoot! He only ordered coffee for himself. Should he have gotten an extra one just in case? But what if she didn’t like coffee? It’d be better to wait so she could order what she actually wanted and he could just pay. But wait… Who didn’t like coffee?_ **

Daehwi was practically sweating bullets as his mind raced a million miles per second on all of the worse things that could possibly happen.

**_What if she thought he was selfish for not having something ready for her? He was planning to buy breakfast, was that enough? Suddenly, the one rose he had picked up on the way here looked so bare. Should he have bought more flowers? A bouquet? What was he doing here? This was a terrible idea! He wasn’t ready for this! He-_ **

“Excuse…me?”

Daehwi was startled into a squeak as he jumped out of his seat, a soft voice interrupting his train of destructive thought. He gasped for air, blinking rapidly as he tried to regain his composure. He looked up and met a pair of olive eyes.

**Wait, green eyes? Oh colored contacts. An idol…**

He honed his gaze on her, unconsciously sharpening his eyes as he did so.

**Slight double-eyelids… A mole under her left eye… Is it-**

“Daehwi… shi?” She recognized him before he could take a guess, causing him to lose all courage.

“Yes! Yes! Daehwi! That’s me!” He stammered with a nervous laugh.

**_Oh my gosh! Somebody shut me up now!_ **

One minute into meeting his date and he was already freaking out. He sucked in deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, closing his eyes. He slowly exhaled, opening his eyes and when he met her eyes again, he found himself less rattled. Mustering all his courage, he took his mask off to display a friendly smile.

“Eunbin-shi…”

Eunbin quietly took off her mask, a hesitant smile on her rosy lips. Daehwi had seen her a handful of times on music shows, but it was the first time he was looking at her so closely. She was definitely attractive with big eyes, plump lips, and round cheeks that reminded him for a split-second about another individual’s soft cheeks, but he shoved all thoughts of that other person to the back of his brain. After all, he was on a date and shouldn’t have been thinking about ~~Nuna-~~ other girls.

“… Hello.” Daehwi forced the corners of his lips up, a wide smile on his face as he extended his hand with the rose in it.

“Hello…” She took it with a quiet smile. “Thank you.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too…”

See they were already off to a great start. She accepted his rose and gave him a pretty smile. Daehwi had been freaking out for nothing. The date would move forward smoothly and get better in no time. He was sure of it.

**It didn’t get any better from there.**

Now Daehwi was no psychologist, but paranoia and hyper-sensitivity had developed enhanced senses and awareness when it came to his people-skills and he could tell from a mile away she was as uncomfortable as he was. Actually, scratch that. After a few deep breaths, he had been fine, but her discomfort was so great and _heavy_ to the point he could feel its weight.

She kept shooting him tight smiles in between her meal that she picked at (that yes, he did pay for), nudging her fork against her eggs benedict as she kept her head down.

“…How are you?” He tried to get a conversation going.

“Good… And you?” She wasn’t making it easy for him at all.

“Fine…” He took a sip of coffee, desperately wracking his brain for any topic he could latch onto. “Any plans for the new year?”

“What do you mean?” She looked up, finally giving him the honor of eye-contact for more than five seconds. However, her expression was borderline suspicious, causing his confidence to falter.

“L-like… Like resolutions!” He stammered. “Any New Years’ resolutions?”

**_Really Lee Daehwi? The first topic you introduce to your blind date is New Years’ resolutions. How pathetic can you get?_ **

“I’m sorry… I’m so bad at this.” He smiled apologetically to her.

He half-expected a giggle, words of encouragement, or at least a sympathetic smile. However, Eunbin gave him neither. She merely smiled at him tightly before refocusing on her now-cold eggs. They ate the rest of their breakfast in clipped silence for thirty minutes, and after they finished eating, resumed their date for another painful twenty-seven minutes before they both decided to call it quits.

Daehwi didn’t have too many dates that he went on in the past twenty years of his life, but hands-down this was definitely one of the worst ones. For one, after they finished eating, she slipped her face-mask on immediately, a small muffled giggle escaping her when he smiled sheepishly at her. In an attempt to accommodate, he also put his mask back on, hoping that it was only because of the increasing voices they heard downstairs as people came in-and-out of the café to pick up their orders. Unfortunately, that was not the case. She didn’t put her mask back on for anonymity. And she didn’t take her mask off for the rest of the date. He could have assumed it was because she was shy, but he knew better. Anybody could tell that she wasn’t feeling this date.

“I’m a big fan of your music…” She said in a soft, muffled tone.

She wasn’t feeling the date, but she wasn’t rude. She would answer his questions and in-turn ask vague one of her own out of politeness. The weirdest thing about their exchange was her body language. Her voice was cheerful, yet her eyes seemed guarded. She would also shift awkwardly in her seat every now and then, almost as if she were signaling to him on how uncomfortable she felt.

“I like CLC as well. I know practically all your songs.” He nodded, exaggerating his voice to compensate for his nonexistent expressions due to the mask.

“Really? I’m glad…” Her voice died down.

“…”

“…”

“… Can I ask which song of mine you like?”

“Oh… Yes. Of course. Song… Breathe… Hollywood…”

“Breathe and Hollywood… Great.” He stifled his laugh of disbelief with a cough. “Thank you.”

“What about you? What… CLC song is your favorite?”

It became increasing obvious as time went by that both of them were just sitting through this out of courtesy. After seeing his phone flash 9:22 am for the third time in a row and seeing Eunbin glance at her phone for the 18th time, Daehwi decided it was time to bring this date to an end. (And yes, Daehwi had been checking his phone every 20 seconds to see if the time was moving faster. But hey! So had she! Don’t sue him.)

It was almost comedic that way they both jumped up to their feet in half-a-millisecond to leave the café. He could tell by her bright ears that she was as embarrassed as he was, but he brazenly kept his eyes forward, as if his face wasn’t as crimson as blood inside his mask. As they headed outside, he offered to take her back like the gentleman he was. She refused him politely.

“Manager Oppa’s here already.” Again, her voice was chirpy while her eyes seemed wary. “… Thank you for today, Daehwi-shi. It was… pleasant.”

**Pleasant. Pleasant? Who the heck used pleasant to describe a first date?**

Even though this was one of the worst dates he’d ever been on, he couldn’t stop the feelings of crushing disappointment he felt. His heart sank, but he did his best to mask his emotions through his voice.

“It was nice…” He nodded, channeling all of his acting skills so that his eyes wouldn’t betray him. “Thank you for meeting me.”

She nodded and bowed. He bowed too. She let out a nervous giggle and so did he.

**_This sucks._ **

She shifted uncomfortably from left to right.

“… I-“

“I’ll see you around.” Daehwi smoothly interrupted, giving her a way out.

Her eyes crinkled with the most bright emotion and he could tell she was relieved.

“Yes! I’ll see you.” She chirped happily. “Maybe next time with Somi?”

“Sounds good.”

As he sent her off with a polite bow, he made a mental note to **NEVER** intentionally cross paths with her ever again.

“I don’t get it.”

Daehwi could practically hear the pout in Somi’s voice over the line.

“What?” He smiled tiredly as he fell back into bed, head-first.

“She told me she likes someone fair-skinned… Someone who’s responsible and good at socializing. She also wanted someone who’s good at communicating… That’s you!”

“… As well as one-third of South Korea’s male population.” He said dryly, adjusting himself so that he were lying on his back.

“Shut up! No, that’s not true! There aren’t that many guys who are responsible AND good at socializing.” She argued. “You’re one in a million, Daehwi! You’re wayyy better than that Ahn Jaehyun guy she’s mentioned before.”

“Her ideal type is Ahn Jaehyun and you thought of putting her with ME?!” Daehwi rubbed his temple, letting out a deep exhale.

“She told me she trusted my judgment! And like I said! You’re way better than Ahn Jaehyun! You’re Lee Daehwi!”

“I’m flattered you think so highly of me, Somi, but let’s be real – this date should have never happened in this first place.” He let out a sigh. “At least not with me and her.”

“I don’t get it. Eunbin’s very sweet and open. She told me she was ok with any of my guy friends. As long as he was an idol.”

Daehwi’s blood ran cold.

“… What?” He sat up, his voice completely flat as his grip tightened over the phone.

“She told me she was ok with any guy I knew! She said she trusted me! I don’t understand.”

Somi may not have understood, but Daehwi understood COMPLETELY what had happened and why his date reacted the way she did.

“Somi-“ Daehwi let out an incredulous laugh. “You offered to set her up with one of your IDOL GUY friends.”

“Yeah?”

“You have the most EXTENSIVE idol-friend list in the world!” He practically shrieked. “GOT7 Sunbaenims! SEVENTEEN Sunbaenims! STRAY KIDS?!”

“And Lee Daehwi!” She raised her voice indignantly. “Everyone knows I’m the closest to you! What’s the big deal?!”

“You’re unbelievable!” He flopped back onto the bed. “Girl… I’D be mad at you if you promised to set me up with one of your friends and you picked ME instead of GOT7 Jackson Sunbaenim! What the heck?!”

“What the heck?! Why shouldn’t it be you?! You’re just as good as any of them! Better even!”

Daehwi could not believe this. He was so shocked that there was only way his body could react – he laughed. Not a bright, cheerful noise that filled the room, but a dry, throaty sound that choked him into coughing as disbelief coated the back of his throat.

“… Ridiculous.” He wheezed.

“No, it’s not!” Somi said forcefully. “You ARE better than any guy I know. You’re the BEST! You fit her ideal type! Better than-”

“Jackson Sunbaenim?” Daehwi humored. “Jaebum Sunbaenim? Woozi-nim?”

Somi fell quiet.

“Oh dang… If you put it like that, I guess there are a lot of guys that fit the bill.” She sucked in a deep breath.

“There are. And even if there weren’t, it wouldn’t matter. Because she wanted someone who… Someone who wasn’t me.” And the truth of his own words caused a pang in his chest, disappointment shrouding over him like a shadow.

It wasn’t Eunbin’s fault. She had every right to her own personal preference and could choose like whomever she wanted. They only went on one date. It was no big deal. But today only served as a smarting reminder to Daehwi about all the other experiences of love in his life. He was liked and respected, needed even; but he wasn’t wanted. Every girl who liked him dropped him faster than a free-fall the moment someone handsomer, smarter, stronger… **_better_** appeared.

“I’m so sorry, Daehwi.” Somi groaned, interrupting the temporary moment of self-pity he felt.

“Don’t be.” He stretched, ignoring the ache in his heart. “If anything… It was nice to get out of the house.”

“I’ll make it up to you.” She promised. “Just you wait! I’ll make it up.”

“Forget it.” He snorted. “Next time… Let’s just hang out for breakfast ourselves. No scratch that. We’re doing lunch or dinner. I’m not doing breakfast again. Ever.”

Early schedules he understood he had to wake up for. However, no person (except maybe his mom) was worth waking up that early for, ever again.

“Got it. No breakfast.”

No breakfast was the only thing Somi got. It became apparently clear she completely disregarded the rest of their conversation, proven when she booked Daehwi for Date #2 the following week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally started with the Blind Dates!  
> Thank you for your patience.  
> Poor Daehwi has A LOT coming for him. Also, yay for AB6IX!! ^^
> 
> Please show me your feedback and thoughts by leaving kudos and comments down below. I always respond! (Sometimes late, but I always respond!) ^^

**Author's Note:**

> This sudden idea/AU popped into my head and I was laughing the whole time I was writing it ^^  
> Feel free to leave comments down below on your thoughts!  
> Also, let me know who you want to see Daehwi 'date'! I'll need all of your ideas and I'll try to incorporate them as best I can! ^^  
> (Or even better! Feel free to write your own AU with this premise and send it to me! I'd love to see what you come up with! ^^)
> 
> P.S. This takes place in the same idolverse as my other fics, but you don't have to read the other ones to follow this one.
> 
> P.P.S. Welp... I know that everyone was looking forward to more 2Hwang, but what better way to promote 2Hwang than through their 'Best Man', right? He definitely deserves it! ^^


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